UAE, Qatar and Bahrain less corrupt in Arab World

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The 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), launched earlier this week by Transparency International (TI), points to a strong correlation between corruption and poverty, with a concentration of impoverished states at the bottom of the ranking.

“Corruption traps millions in poverty,” said Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle. “Despite a decade of progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and regulations, today’s results indicate that much remains to be done before we see meaningful improvements in the lives of the world’s poorest citizens.”

The 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index is a composite index that draws on multiple expert opinion surveys that poll perceptions of public sector corruption in 163 countries around the world, the greatest scope of any CPI to date. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption.

In the Arab world, the UAE ranks first and 31st out of 163 countries worldwide with a score of 6.2. It is followed by Qatar at 33rd with 6. Bahrain ranks third in the Arab world and 36st out of the 163 countries worldwide.

The report included Jordan and Tunisia in "countries with a significant worsening in perceived levels of corruption," while Lebanon and Algeria were included in "countries with a significant improvement in perceived levels of corruption."